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Story: Women and men

Divorced dad

Video file

New Zealand men came to strongly value being a father and having a close, loving relationship with their children in the later 20th century. This shift coincided with a rapid climb in the rate of divorce. This advertisement, made in 1989, combines fathering and divorce to sell butter.

Video courtesy of Fonterra.

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Saatchi & Saatchi

Video courtesy of Fonterra

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How to cite this page

Charlotte Macdonald, Women and men – Common ground: 1999–21st century, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/29267/divorced-dad (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Charlotte Macdonald, published 30 March 2011, updated 1 August 2017.